Broken Engagement, Unleashed Heiress's Fury

My fiancé, Chadwick Steele, always treated me like a dirty secret-the nerdy brains behind his glamorous tech empire. He flaunted his affair with his mistress, Isa, while constantly reminding me I was an embarrassment he was forced to tolerate.

That all came to a head in a crowded mall. In front of everyone, he publicly broke our engagement, choosing her over me and leaving me to her mercy.

But Isa wasn't satisfied with just winning. She had Chadwick's bodyguards pin me to the floor.

She slapped me, kicked me, and then pulled out a silver letter opener. As she carved a bloody gash across my cheek, she laughed about teaching me a permanent lesson for daring to exist in her world.

I was bleeding and broken, my spirit completely shattered. I thought it was over.

Then, a custom Rolls-Royce pulled up. My mother, Frederica Mooney-the silent titan of Silicon Valley who secretly bankrolls the entire Steele family fortune-stepped out. She took one look at my face, her eyes turning to ice, and gave me the only words I needed to hear: "I give you my full permission."

Chapter 1

My fiancé, Chadwick Steele, was a beautiful lie I was tired of living, and I knew the moment I truly stopped caring about his approval, everything would change.

I clutched my phone, the screen still black after our call disconnected. I felt my jaw tighten. I had given him one last chance, a final line in the sand. "Chadwick," I said into the phone, my voice calm despite the tremor in my hand. "We need to talk about the launch event. Your… promotional strategy is getting out of hand."

His laugh on the other end was like sandpaper on my nerves, rough and dismissive. "Kelsey, darling, it' s a launch, not a coding convention. You just focus on the algorithms, okay? Leave the marketing to me and Isa."

My stomach churned. Isa. Always Isa. "It involves a public display that reflects poorly on Nexus' s reputation," I pushed back, trying to keep my voice even. "It reflects poorly on us."

"Oh, us?" His tone sharpened, laced with an irritation he barely bothered to hide. "Kelsey, let' s be real. You' re the brains, I' m the face. And Isa? She' s the sparkle. The public doesn' t want to see someone in a hoodie and glasses representing the future of tech. They want… aspiration."

The words hit me like a splash of cold water. He had always been dismissive, but to hear him explicitly state I was a liability to his image, even as his fiancée, was a new low. It wasn't just a slight; it was a rejection of who I was, of my very identity.

"You' re my fiancée, Kelsey, not my fashion consultant," he scoffed. "And frankly, your input on public relations is as relevant as your choice in clothing. Just… focus on your code. That' s what you' re good at."

Then, the click. He hung up.